Finance Committee Meeting Minutes

Glynn County Board of Commissioners

4:00 P.M., Tuesday, March 27, 2001

Third Floor Conference Room

W. Harold Pate Courthouse Annex Building

Brunswick, Georgia

 

 

Present:

                        Committee Members: M. Bedner, J. Chapman, and F. Tullos

                        Commissioners: 

Staff: R. Corbett, W. Davis, R. Guarracino,  U. Keller, P. McNicoll, D. Newbern, J. Sanders, S. Schaeffner, A. Thomas, K. Thomas, and  K. Taylor

Press:  M. Permar

Others: 

 

 

1.                  Consider approval of the Consent Agenda.

a)      Approve the March 6, 2001 Finance Committee Meeting Minutes. 

b)      Approve the corrections to the 1999, 2000, and 2001 digests as recommended by the Board of Assessors and/or Chief Appraiser at their March 7, 2001 meeting.

c)      Declare the unusable items listed on the attached eight (8) pages as surplus and approve the sale of these items at Auction. 

d)      Approve entering into a fifteen-year lease to purchase agreement with Motorola for construction and equipping of four communication towers, direct staff to seek companies who would be desirous to place their antennas on these towers, the revenue generated to be used to offset the annual tower lease cost, and that these towers be considered as a priority in the SPLOST IV initiative.

Commissioner Bedner requested that item 1(d) be pulled for discussion.  The following motion made by Commissioner Bedner and seconded by Commissioner Chapman passed unanimously.

Recommend approval of items consent agenda items (a), (b), and (c).  (Vote 3-0-0)

Item 1(d) was then discussed as Commissioner Bedner questioned whether the County would be criticized for “tower clutter” and whether the County could piggyback existing towers.  Commissioner Tullos stated that the towers must be located in the four specific sites in order to have 95% coverage.  He inquired as to whether we could lease our towers to other users and Mr. Ralph Guarracino, Purchasing said that we could and that he has had inquiries regarding that already.  The following motion made by Commissioner Bedner and seconded by Commissioner Chapman passed unanimously.

Recommend entering into a fifteen-year lease to purchase agreement, subject to the County Attorney’s approval, with Motorola for construction and equipping of four communication towers, direct staff to seek companies who would be desirous to place their antennas on these towers with the revenue generated to be used to offset the annual tower lease cost, and recommend that these towers be considered as a priority in the SPLOST IV initiative. (Vote 3-0-0)

2.                  Discussion of tax payments. 

Commissioner Tullos requested an opinion from the County Attorney’s office regarding dual tax billings, and accepting credit cards for payments of taxes. He also stated that there have been instances in the past in which taxpayers have overpaid their taxes for several years but are only allowed a refund for three (3) years according to State law. Commissioner Tullos requested an opinion from the County Attorney’s office concerning the refund of all monies paid in error regardless of the time period.  Commissioner Bedner gave an example of a citizen that had paid incorrectly for thirty (30) years and we were only allowed to refund on three (3) years. Commissioner Chapman distributed a sample dual tax bill from Olympia, Washington and stated that the dual billing would help the County’s cashflow problem.  Commissioner Tullos commented that it could possible eliminate the need for TANs.  Commissioner Tullos requested that the first agenda item for the next Finance Committee meeting would be for the response from the County Attorney.

3.                  Consider adopting the Purchasing Team’s recommended Purchasing Ordinance amendment that allows for open and fair competition of all commodities and services. 

4.                  Consider adopting the Purchasing Team’s recommended Purchasing Ordinance amendment that allows for a cooperative procurement policy. 

Items 3 and 4 were discussed together at the request of Commissioner Bedner.

Mr. Ralph Guarracino, Purchasing Agent stated that Item #3 would eliminate the exception in the Purchasing Ordinance for professional services.  Mr. Mark Eckert, County Administrator, stated that Engineering Services is an example of services that have not been bid out consistently in the past.  Commissioner Bedner questioned whether there is a list of current RFP’s on the County website and whether vendors can respond on the web.  Mr. Eckert stated that we will be able to receive responses by email when we get software for electronic signatures.  Commissioner Chapman suggested that Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) could be posted on the web.  Mr. Guarracino stated that that hasn’t been done yet but answers to questions are distributed to all bidders.  Mr. Keith Taylor, Assistant County Attorney, commented that he doesn’t think the language in the proposed ordinance amendment is correct and needs to be worked out.

Mr. Taylor’s response to Item #4 was that the County would be entering into a joint partnership and we would need an intergovernmental contract and we would be jointly liable if anything went wrong.  He stated that there would be no restrictions on the dollar amount of the County’s liability.  Mr. Eckert responded by saying that the County is only trying to do what other successfully counties and cities are currently doing.  Examples are Fairfax County, VA, and Cleveland, OH.  He gave the example that if the City of Atlanta has bid out turn-out gear for firemen, they would get a better price than we could because of the volume and the change in the ordinance would allow Glynn County to use Atlanta’s bid thereby purchase at a lower rate.

After further discussion the following motion made by Commissioner Bedner and seconded by Commissioner Chapman passed unanimously.

Recommend adopting the Purchasing Team’s recommended Purchasing Ordinance amendments that allow for open and fair competition of all commodities and services and for a cooperative procurement policy, subject to a review of the language by the County Attorney.  (Vote 3-0-0)

5.                  Consider authorizing the lay-off of four (4) neighborhood parks employees, transfer all equipment to Ball Field Division, to provide grounds maintenance service of twenty-one (21) passive neighborhood park locations and eight (8) county facility locations and award contracts for:

a)       Tasks one (1) through four (4), six (6), seven (7), and nine (9) - to Evergreen in the amount of $267,300 over a three- (3) year period.

b)      Task five (5) – to Little Touch of England in the amount of $57,395.40 over a three (3) year period; and

c)       Task eight (8) – to 3 Sons in the amount of $12,509.12 over a three (3) year period

with funding to be provided by Program 880 – Neighborhood Parks. 

Mr. Wesley Davis informed the Committee that three of the employees had transferred to other positions and one refused to apply for a position open at the Blythe Island Regional Park.  After discussion the following motion made by Commissioner Chapman and seconded by Commissioner Bedner passed unanimously.

Recommend authorizing the lay-off of four (4) Neighborhood Parks employees and transfer of all Neighborhood Parks Grounds Maintenance equipment to the Recreation Department Ball Field Division, to provide outside grounds maintenance services for twenty-one (21) passive neighborhood park locations and eight (8) county facility locations and award contracts for:

a)    Tasks one (1) through four (4), six (6), seven (7), and nine (9) - to Evergreen in the amount of $89,100 for one year with two (2) one-year extension options;

d)       Task five (5) – to Little Touch of England in the amount of $17,340 for one year with two (2) one-year extension options; and

e)       Task eight (8) – to 3 Sons in the amount of $3,968 for one year with two (2) one-year extension options

with funding to be provided by Program 880 – Neighborhood Parks.  (Vote 3-0-0)

6.                  Consider authorizing the implementation of the institution of a $200 refundable trash/damage deposit and a new, more stringent contract that would clearly outline what is expected of individuals renting County parks. 

Commissioner Chapman discussed several concerns that he had with the proposal.  He felt that there may be problems with the customers handling large bags of trash and that there were other options such as a self-contained compactor that should be considered.  After further discussion this item was deferred until a later meeting.

7.                  Consider approving the implementation of the following:

a)      Increasing the newly proposed rental fees for the New Casino Facility and Casino Complex Park Rentals

b)      Discounts only to be approved by the Board of Commissioners with discounted amounts to be reimbursed to the Recreation Department through a special fund for this purpose

c)      The attached Facility Rental contract for use when renting the New Casino Facility. 

Mr. Wesley Davis, Recreation Director, stated that the Casino Advisory Board had unanimously approved the changes outlined in this item.  He said that they have had a problem with the policy in that there is a provision for discounts in the current policy and everyone asks for and is granted a discount.  The Advisory Board has now agreed to waive no more fees.  Commissioner Chapman said that he expects to see the General Fund contribution to the Casino program go down as fees go up.  Commissioner Bedner stated that he would like to see exemptions for community-wide programs such as Taps at Twilight program on Memorial Day.  After further discussion the following motion made by Commissioner Bedner and seconded by Commissioner Tullos passed with a vote of 2-0-0.  Commissioner Chapman was not present for this vote.

Recommend approval to increase rental fees as proposed for the New Casino Facility and Casino Complex and Parks with the exception of the $200 refundable trash/damage deposit for Park Rentals which will be determined later.

The following motion made by Commissioner Bedner and seconded by Commissioner Tullos passed with a vote of 2-0-0.  Commissioner Chapman was not present for this vote.

Recommend approval of the attached Facility Rental contract for use when renting the New Casino Facility and a list of Community-wide activities for which fees will be waived.  (Vote 2-0-0)

 

8.                  Consider increasing the user fees for athletic programs and ball field rentals as follows:

Athletic Program                                                Current Rate                                       Proposed Rates

a) T-Ball                                                                            $23.  /person                            $30.  /person

b) Baseball                                                                      $23.  /person                            $30.  /person

c) Softball                                                                         $23.  /person                            $30.  /person

d) Basketball                                                                   $23.  /person                            $30.  /person

e) Football                                                                       $23.  /person                            $40.  /person

f) Soccer                                                                           $23.  /person                            $30.  /person

g) Cheerleading                                                                $8.  /person                            $15.  /person

h) Adult sports                                                                 $27.50/person                          $30.  /person

i) Youth Sports Camp                                                      $5.  /participant                        $5.  /participant

 

Ball Field Rentals Description

j) Ball field Rentals                                                           $5.  /non-profit/hour

                                                                                           $10.  /profit/hour

                                                                                           $15.  /hour/nights non-profit

 

Ball Field Rentals Description

k) Hourly ball field rental                                                                                                  $25.  /hour per field

l) Restrooms (Must be requested for access)                                                               $25.  /day

m) Light Fee                                                                                                                        $25.  One (1) time light fee per day

n) Half Day Rental, six (6) hours                                                                                  $150.  /field (includes lights, restroom, and a one-time drag and lined service)

o) Full Day Rental, 8:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m.                                                           $300.  /field (includes lights, restroom, and a one-time drag and lined service)

p) Three (3) or more Ball Fields                                                                                   $800.  /day per location (includes lights, restroom, and a one-time drag and lined service)

q) Field Drag & Lined Fee, one (1) time only                                                             $60.  /day per field to maintain fields

r) Maintenance Worker                                                                                                   $30.  /hour to maintain the fields between all games

s) Concession Stand, Regular Season                                                                       Unavailable for rentals

t) Concession Stand, Off-season – ½ day                                                                  $150.  / ½ Day (under six (6) hours)

u) Concession Stand, Off-Season – Full Day                                                            $300.  /Full Day (six (6) hours or more

v) Trash/Damage Deposit                                                                                             $100.  /day refundable trash/damage deposit due for all ball filed rentals beyond two (2) hours

In addition, initiate the attached Ball Field Rentals Contract.       

After discussion the following motion made by Commissioner Bedner and seconded by Commissioner Chapman passed unanimously.

Recommend increasing the user fees for athletic programs and ball field rentals as outlined in Attachment B and initiate the attached Ball Field Rentals Contract.  (Vote 3-0-0)

9.                  Consider approving $60,831.00 for the purchase of the live scan equipment from the sole source provider, Identix Live Scan System, with all the receipts being provided to GBI for immediate reimbursement. 

The following motion made by Commissioner Chapman and seconded by Commissioner Bedner passed unanimously.

Recommend approving $60,831.00 for the purchase of the live scan equipment from the sole source provider, Identix Live Scan System, with all the receipts being provided to GBI for immediate reimbursement.  (Vote 3-0-0)

10.              Consider contracting with Bron Cleveland and Associates for an amount not to exceed $4,500.00 to perform the six (6) listed duties set forth above and authorizing the Chairman to execute such contract upon approval by the County Attorney.

Mr. Eckert stated that staff is trying to determine the source of funds from Coastal Landmark Society and the item will be pulled from the Commission agenda is confirmation is not received that funds are available.  The following motion made by Commissioner Bedner and seconded by Commissioner Chapman passed unanimously.

Recommend contracting with Bron Cleveland and Associates for an amount not to exceed $4,500.00 to perform the six (6) listed duties set forth above and authorizing the Chairman to execute such contract upon approval by the County Attorney, contingent on the identification of the funding source prior to the Board of Commission meeting.  (Vote 3-0-0)

11.              Consider allocating funds in an amount not to exceed $7,000.00 from the General Fund’s fund balance and direct the Administrator to work with the Clerk of the State Court’s Office to keep expenditures at or below the amount allocated. 

Mr. Eckert stated that it appears that the required funding will be quite a bit less than the $7,000 requested .  The following motion made by Commissioner Chapman and seconded by Commissioner Bedner passed unanimously.

Recommend allocating funds in an amount not to exceed $7,000.00 from the General Fund’s fund balance and direct the Administrator to work with the Clerk of the State Court’s Office to keep expenditures at or below the amount allocated.  (Vote 3-0-0)

12.              Consider authorizing that an amount not to exceed $2,015.00 be added to the Magistrate’s Budget from the General Fund’s fund balance to acquire the specific items noted in the Problem Statement. 

The following motion made by Commissioner Chapman and seconded by Commissioner Bedner passed unanimously.

Recommend authorizing that an amount not to exceed $2,015.00 be added to the Magistrate’s Budget from the General Fund’s fund balance to acquire the specific items noted in the Problem Statement.  (Vote 3-0-0)

13.              Consider engaging the firm of Holland & Knight for estimated 100 hours of professional services to structure a cable franchise agreement and funding in the amount of $20,000.00 to be provided by the General Fund fund balance.

Mr. Eckert stated that this request is the result of an Information Technology Committee request from the previous year.  He said that these are excellent FCC attorneys.  Mr. Eckert stated that the Clerk had researched the agreement with Adelphia and found that the latest contract was dated March, 1999.  Mr. Keith Taylor informed the Committee that Mr. Gary Moore, County Attorney, is working with DMG-Maximus on this project.  After further discussion the following motion made by Commissioner Bedner and seconded by Commissioner Chapman passed unanimously.

Recommend engaging the firm of Holland & Knight for estimated 100 hours of professional services to structure a cable franchise agreement and funding in the amount of $20,000.00 to be provided by the General Fund fund balance.  (Vote 3-0-0)

14.              Request that Chairman Tullos identify the Finance Committee items which should be included as consent items in the Commission’s Meeting Agenda.

Commissioner Tullos identified items 1(b), 1(c), 1(d), 3 - 5, and 7 - 12 as consent items.